Sunday, March 11, 2007

Plan to slaughter Oregon cougars underway

Action Alert End Date: 3/22/2007

Beneath the data and the bill numbers and the posturing, here is the truth. "Sport" hunters are asking you to let them release a radio collared pack of hounds to relentlessly pursue a terrified cougar until the exhausted animal takes refuge in a tree. So they can then saunter over and shoot it point blank off a limb.

You've said no twice before and its time to say it til they get it.

NO!

Once again "sport" hunters are working hard to betray the will of the people by asking the Oregon legislature to pass three new bills that would allow "sport" hunters the opportunity to hound hunt mountain lions. As usual, feigned concern for public safety and game management are used as justification.

Don't be duped! Random killing of mountain lions does not increase public safety. This is simply about "sport" hunters who want to hound and kill mountain lions for fun.

Oregon voters banned hound hunting of mountain lions in 1994, and in 1996, voters SAID NO AGAIN. House Bill 2971 would deputize "sport" hunters as agents of ODFW to officially kill mountain lions on behalf of the Cougar Management Plan. Senate Bill 702 will allow "sport" hunters to use hounding during the final three months of the mountain lion hunting season. And the third bill is yet to be announced.

Oregon hunters are already allowed to kill over 500 cougars per year. The Cougar Management Plan calls for killing an additional 782 cougars each year by any means necessary. Enough is enough!

It is time to kill these bills and then aim to kill the Oregon Cougar Management Plan.

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will hear HB2971 on March 22 at 3:00p.m.

Oregon residents write your representative and members of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Tell them to see these bills for what they are and to vote NO! And on March 22nd be there at 3:00 p.m. to make sure your opposition is heard.

Everyone should write Governor Kulongoski urging him to protect America's lion and oppose these bills.

Write letters to the newspapers, call in to radio and television talk shows, let Oregon's voters know they are being betrayed and that their lions are being targeted to be killed for the sake of killing.

Your personal letters stating your opinions will have far more power than form letters the Mountain Lion Foundation could supply.